HP Pavilion g4-1215dx Review and Ratings

Editors’ Rating:

Our Verdict:
A full-size laptop at a netbook price, the $349 Pavilion g4-1215dx delivers an outstanding mix of design and performance for the money. You won't find a faster or better-equipped laptop for less. Read More…

What We Liked…

Surprisingly inexpensive

Respectable performance for the price

Attractive, sturdy design

Comfortable keyboard

What We Didn’t…

No USB 3.0

Disappointing Webcam

HP Pavilion g4-1215dx Review

Introduction

Not long ago, the budget-laptop shelves were a forlorn wasteland. Shop for a bargain-basement notebook, and you could uniformly expect machines with older parts inside horribly chunky and cheap chassis. Because of that, our general recommendation was to spend a bit extra, if at all possible, for a more up-to-date configuration with an improved design.

But take note, bargain hunters: It's not all quite so bleak anymore. The HP Pavilion g4-1215dx is a cheap-as-they-come entry-level laptop that actually earns our respect and recommendation. For only $349 at Best Buy, the Pavilion g4-1215dx cuts surprisingly few corners.

With its simple yet attractive design, the Pavilion g4-1215dx doesn't look like an entry-level laptop.

The specific configuration of the g4 line we review here, the g4-1215dx, is available exclusively at Best Buy. You can also find other g4 notebooks at HP.com, in various configurations, starting at $449. Part of the reason the model we tested was so strong, though, was its processor. Our Best Buy system was built around a chip from AMD’s A4 Fusion series. This chip won’t break any land-speed records, but it’s faster than the AMD E-series chip in the $445 Toshiba Satellite L745D. (The g4 base model at HP.com uses an Intel Core i3 processor.)

Of course, no $349 laptop can be perfect, even for basic use. The battery life on this one is only so-so, and there's no USB 3.0 port to be found. But given the laptop’s price, both of these complaints are minor. You won’t find a better laptop for the price without wading into netbook territory—and there, you'll take a very noticeable hit in performance. For a cheap second laptop for the home, where you’ll be consuming media rather than creating it, the HP Pavilion g4-1215dx is an outstanding buy.